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F- R- MERRELL Patented 00L WNWMIIIIINMIIIIIMIW IInrrn-n rares .maar rricn.

FREDUS R. MERRELL, OF VERSAILLES, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS SU MERRELL, OF SAME PLACE.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,387, dated October 2, 1888.

Application tiled December 661887. Sci-iai No. 257,147. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that. l, FREDUS R. llfInRRnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Versailles, in the county of Darke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriage-Tops, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This improvement relates to that class of carriage-tops known as canopy-tops, some of which are provided with rolling curtains; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts, hereinafter more particularly described, and then deinitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which show whatI now consider the preferable way of car rying out my invention, Figure l represents a perspective view of a canopy-top having my improvement attached; Fig. 2, a rear corner iron; Fig. 3 one of the middle irons, and Fig. 4t one ol" the front irons. In all of the last three figures the irons are represented in a reversed position, the better to show their form or shape.

Referring now to the details of the draw ings, A A A A represent the four posts, such as are ordinarily used with cahopytops; B, the frame and its top-covering, which rests on the posts, C, the back curtains; O, the rear side curtain, and C the front side curtain. These are all rolled upon ordinary spring curtain-rollers, upon which nothing new is claimed and no description is therefore necessary'.

Underneath the frame of the canopy is attached a series of irons, D E F, three on each side, onehalf of which are shown upon a larger scale by the Figs. 2, f3, and 4. The back and middle irons are each formed with a socket to receive a post, and all of them are provided with hangers to receive the journals of the spring-rollers. These irons and the hangers carried by them are so arranged that the eurtains may be lapped one over the other at their contiguous edges. To enable this to be accomplished, I hang the back .curtain so as to project beyond the end of the rear side curtain, O', and cut and hang the front side curtain, C, in a peculiar manner, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable me to hang the back curtain so that it will lap over the side curtain, I cast or attach to the iron D a hanger, d, for the back curtain at a point outside of the center ofthe hanger d', as' shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

To enable the rear and side curtains to lap, I make one hanger perform the function ot' two on the center or side iron, and for this purpose make the angular slot usually required with springrollers in one side of the hanger c, and a round hole on the other side of the same, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, so that this single hanger receives the fixed journal of one spring-roller and the revolving journal of another.

The front iron, F, I prefer to make i n angular form, so as to extend around the corner of the canopy.- frame, and thus securely fasten together the parts of the front corner of said frame. On this iron I also cast or attach a hanger, f, which has a slot or hole (as the case may be) for the curtain-roller.

The roller for the front curtain is made of considerably greater length than the width of the curtain C, and the curtain itself is cutoff at an angle at c, so that a part of the side of the curtain hangs Linder the hanger E, and will thus lap and button over the curtain C.

W'hen it is desired to roll up the curtain O", it is drawn slightly to one side, as shown by dotted lines, and it can thus be readily rolled up, as the rear edge of the curtain will then pass inside of the hanger e, and as the roller is made considerably longer than the curtain is wide the front edge of the curtain will roll up on the front end ot the roller, which has been made espeeiallylong for that purpose.

In practice there is an ornamental covering with fringe, the., attached to the canopy, which drops down over and hides the rollers, Snc.; but as this a common feature I have not shown In some cases I may make the curtain C to slide sidewise on the roller, which may be aecomplished in different ways, and when this is done I slide the curtain over toward the front end of its roller before rolling it up. When the curtain is unrolled and it it is desired to button the same, I slide the curtain to the rear end of its roller, when it willof course readily lap on the rear side curtain.

The hangers in theirons can have the holes IOO and slots alike foreach side of the carriagetop if the spring-rollers are especially made to suit this arrangement of the hangers; but as springrollcrs are usually constructed it will 5 be necessary Iorthe hangers lo bc made rights and lefts7-tliat is to say, if the hanger on one side of the carriage has a round hole the corresponding hanger on' the opposite side will have to be provided with an angular'slot, and 1o if the hanger has an angular slot the corre- :responding hanger on the other side will have a round hole.

By the above construction and arrangement a canopy-top is made which is provided with 15 lapped curtains that will readily roll up, and yet have all the curtains in a line, which is a necessity with Hat-top canopies, and thus the objections hitherto found to canopytop curtains have been avoided.

That I claim as new isl. The combination, with a carriage-top, of two curtains hung on rollers turning` on bearings in the saine horizontal plane and in line with each other, one of which curtainsf-has a projecting edge adapted to lap on the other, 25 substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, with a carriage-top, of two curtains, one of which has a projecting edge adapted to lap on the other, and one of its upper corners cut away to clear the hanger 3o on which it is suspended, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a canopy-top and the curtainrollers therefor, of the irons D E F, each carrying a hanger for the rollers, and 35 the rear iron, D, carrying two hangers, one of said hangers being attached outside ofthe center of the hanger for the side-curtain roller, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in 4o presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of December, 1887. r

FREDUS R. MERRELL. Vitnesses:

WM. T. ROBERTSON, J ULIUs SOLGER. 

